Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 3754: A Virtual Reality Muscle –Computer Interface for Neurorehabilitation in Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study

Sensors, Vol. 20, Pages 3754: A Virtual Reality Muscle–Computer Interface for Neurorehabilitation in Chronic Stroke: A Pilot Study Sensors doi: 10.3390/s20133754 Authors: Octavio Marin-Pardo Christopher M. Laine Miranda Rennie Kaori L. Ito James Finley Sook-Lei Liew Severe impairment of limb movement after stroke can be challenging to address in the chronic stage of stroke (e.g., greater than 6 months post stroke). Recent evidence suggests that physical therapy can still promote meaningful recovery after this stage, but the required high amount of therapy is difficult to deliver within the scope of standard clinical practice. Digital gaming technologies are now being combined with brain–computer interfaces to motivate engaging and frequent exercise and promote neural recovery. However, the complexity and expense of acquiring brain signals has held back widespread utilization of these rehabilitation systems. Furthermore, for people that have residual muscle activity, electromyography (EMG) might be a simpler and equally effective alternative. In this pilot study, we evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an EMG-based variant of our REINVENT virtual reality (VR) neurofeedback rehabilitation system to increase volitional muscle activity while reducing unintended co-contractions. We recruited four participants in the chronic stage of stroke recovery, all with severely restricted active wrist movement. They completed seven 1-hour training sessio...
Source: Sensors - Category: Biotechnology Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research